If you notice a yellow highlight on the page, hover over it for the definition!

The Eastern European country of Ukraine has been in the news lately. The country has become the subject of conversation due to a scandal involving President Donald Trump. Democrats in the House of Representatives may try to impeach Trump over this story, a process that could remove the president from office. The talk of impeachment centers on a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

What’s Up with Ukraine?

An anonymous government worker filed a complaint against Trump. According to this person, Trump tried to pressure Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, who may become Trump’s opponent in the next presidential election. Biden is currently trying to become the Democratic Party nominee for president in 2020.

The person who filed the complaint said that President Trump threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine if it refused to investigate Biden. If the accusations are true, President Trump may have broken the law or acted improperly. However, it is not clear that the president is guilty of wrongdoing.

Donald Trump

The White House recently released a transcript of the phone call so the American public could see exactly what the two leaders said. During the conversation, Zelensky asked Trump to increase the amount of aid the US gives to Ukraine. While Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden’s activities in Ukraine as a “favor,” he did not mention withholding aid from the country.

History of Ukraine

In the 20th century, Ukraine was a part of Poland. Later, Russia took control of the country and treated its residents brutally. Russia banned the Ukrainian language and attempted to erase the nation’s culture. After the Soviet Union was formed, treatment of Ukraine worsened. Joseph Stalin starved the people of the country to keep them under Soviet control.

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine became an independent nation. Despite this, it still has a hostile relationship with Russia. In 2014, Russia took control of Crimea, which was previously part of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Leadership

Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine’s government is a republic with a semi-presidential system. Similar to the United States, Ukraine has three branches: executive, judiciary, and legislative. But unlike the US, Ukraine uses a multi-party system, where different groups join together to form governments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was just elected earlier this year. His victory was a surprise since he had been an actor who played the president on television.

While nobody knows how the controversy over Trump’s phone call with Zelensky will end, it is clear the country will play a large role in American politics and on the world stage in the near future.

Race Relations & Media Affairs Correspondent at LibertyNation.com and LNGenZ.com. A self-confessed news and political junkie, Jeff’s writing has been featured in Small Business Trends, Business2Community, and The Huffington Post. Born in Southern California and having experienced the 1992 L.A. Riots up close and personal, Jeff’s insights are informed by his experiences as a black man and a conservative.